The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Veronica Tippett was born in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory. Aged four she moved to Darwin with her family, where she later attended St Mary’s convent school and married. She worked as a maid at the government house until 1968, when she moved to Canberra. There she worked as a laboratory assistant in the nuclear physics department of the Australian National University, and spent several years with the Australian Electoral Commission.

Shortly after the formation of the Aboriginal Development Commission in 1980, Tippett became its trainee and later the head of its secretariat. In 1985 she was transferred to the Public Service Board, where she helped develop the Commonwealth Public Service’s equal employment opportunity policy relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 1987 she became a Cultural Relations Officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, promoting Australia’s indigenous cultures in overseas forums and at international conferences in Canada, the United States and Switzerland.

At the time of her death, Veronica was undertaking a training course in anticipation of embarking on a diplomatic career, and was studying cultural heritage management at the University of Canberra.